Western Michigan University celebrates LEED certification of 6 buildings

Western Michigan University's Chemistry Building earned LEED-Silver for an existing building. Six of WMU's buildings earned LEED certifications, bringing the university's total to seven. Six more buildings are currently going through the certification process.Courtesy

KALAMAZOO, MI – Unveiling a new
LEED plaque in the Chemistry Building Wednesday, Western Michigan UniversityPresident John Dunn
said that the university wasn't resting on its sustainability
laurels.

“By this time next year, that number
will grow to 13 buildings,” said Dunn in a ceremony Feb. 20. “And
we're not finished.”

The Chemistry Building was certified as
LEED Silver for an existing building (EB), and Brown Hall was
certified LEED-EB. The four student-housing buildings of Western
View, Phase I, earned LEED new-construction certification.

Buildings currently going through the certification process include
Sangren Hall, the Lee Honors College, the new Zhang Legacy
Collections Center and two new residential buildings and the
community center for Western View, Phase II.

““You definitely are a good example for West Michigan,”
said Kris Ford, chairman of the West Michigan Chapter of the USGBC,
at the ceremony.

If WMU reaches 13 in 2014, it will put the
university among the top higher education institutions in the state
for LEED buildings, said Peter Strazdas, associate vice president for
facilities management.

“GVSU and WMU both continue to
aggressively pursue LEED certification,” said Strazdas.

Grand Valley State University had 15
projects listed on its website that were either LEED-certified or
seeking certification.

What sets WMU apart, Strazdas said, was
its emphasis on seeking certification for existing buildings, which
can be a more rigorous process.

In fact, WMU's first LEED building, the
College of Health and Human Services, was the first at any university
in the world to earn a LEED-Gold rating for an existing building,
Strazdas said. That building was certified in 2009.

The reason for renewing its emphasis on
existing buildings instead of just concentrating on new construction
is simple arithmetic, said Strazdas. WMU has some 150 buildings on
campus that are already part of its environmental footprint.

Instead of just measuring how efficient
a building is when it is newly constructed, he explained, the
existing building designation requires ongoing measuring to be sure that everything is operating at peak efficiency.

For example, the Chemistry Building
uses 40 percent less energy than a conventional one. In addition to
automatic lights, low-flow sinks and dual flush toilets, the green
maintenance practices include everything from an award-winning storm water retention system to spreading beet juice before snowy days like Wednesday. The university also soaks its salt in the beet juice.

The juice acts as an anti-bonding
agent, so the snow doesn't stick as much, said Strazdas. Since beets are
grown in Michigan, it's a locally sourced way to cut down on the
university's use of salt and reduce the amount that ends up in
aquifers. It's also cheaper, he said.

“It's a triple-win,” said Strazdas.

Those best practices are also being
translated to other buildings around campus, he said.

“We don't have green cleaning in just
this building,” said Strazdas.

For members of the Chemistry Department
at Wednesday's ceremony, the abundant natural light in the building
was the green feature they most appreciate on a daily basis.

Pointing out that the Chemistry
Department had been previously housed in McCracken
Hall, the oldest lecture hall on West Campus, department chair Don Schreiber said that the difference between learning environments was immediately apparent.

“If you spend five minutes in that
building and then walk over here, you can see the difference,” said
Schreiber. “It's so airy, light and open. You don't walk into a
dark, dingy place.”

Yvonne Zipp is an education reporter for MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. You can reach her at yzipp@mlive.com or 269-365-8639.